As emergency workers scrambled to control oil that was spreading from the Deepwater Horizon site in 2010, Halliburton had other damage-control priorities on its mind: The company was busily destroying the results of computer simulations that suggested it shared some blame for the disaster.

Halliburton, BP, and rig owner Transocean (which has also obstructed the federal investigation into the disaster) are all on trial in a civil case in New Orleans, where they’re trying to shift blame from themselves onto the others. The New York Times explains how Halliburton’s plea deal could affect that case:

Legal scholars said the guilty plea would probably work against Halliburton in the civil trial in New Orleans to determine the share of damages owed to the Gulf states and businesses affected by the spill.

So which evil oil company are you rooting for?

Which evil oil company indeed...

And here's the real tragedy of it all. The environmental and human cost of the whole fiasco is not only incalculable, it is still ongoing. And there have been new spills and explosions since then that are adding to the problem. Welcome to the new normal, kids. Whatever money the courts manage to get any of these enormous corporations to cough up will be a pittance both to their bottom lines and to the relief efforts and victims, but will still be used as an excuse to raise prices on oil and gas. There is literally no way that the we as consumers can win.

A same-sex couple in Kingston is the subject of a hate crime after they received two threatening letters Thursday, urging them to move out of town or face physical violence.

Some of the group’s younger members would “have fun chasing ‘lesbos,’” the second letter stated. “We have brought them BB guns and today they are going to target practice, so they can hunt you down.”

The group said they “know (the couple) and have been following (them) for the past several weeks and we wish for you to leave this city before it’s too late, for (them),” adding that they should relocate to Vancouver or San Francisco.

The group claims to be “energized by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions legalizing same-sex marriage,” and has a head office in the “Deep South.”

The couple, who notified police upon receiving the letter, has also reached out to local LGBTQ activists to find more information about the assailants.

Kingston police said they “are aware of,” the letters and a report has been assigned to major crime detective, Const. Chris Gobeil.

I've always felt like I have a comfortable buffer because I live openly in Toronto, but this is around the corner from me, less than a 2 hour drive away. It's just crazy to me that this is even a thing. It smacks to me of some young trollsters who want to stir up some shit and make a big noise and get some attention for it, and as such, I'd rather make this post in solidarity of the couple that has been threatened, and not focus on the shit disturbers that are trying to cause FUD.

A same-sex couple in Kingston is the subject of a hate crime after they received two threatening letters Thursday, urging them to move out of town or face physical violence.

Some of the group’s younger members would “have fun chasing ‘lesbos,’” the second letter stated. “We have brought them BB guns and today they are going to target practice, so they can hunt you down.”

The group said they “know (the couple) and have been following (them) for the past several weeks and we wish for you to leave this city before it’s too late, for (them),” adding that they should relocate to Vancouver or San Francisco.

The group claims to be “energized by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions legalizing same-sex marriage,” and has a head office in the “Deep South.”

The couple, who notified police upon receiving the letter, has also reached out to local LGBTQ activists to find more information about the assailants.

Kingston police said they “are aware of,” the letters and a report has been assigned to major crime detective, Const. Chris Gobeil.

I've always felt like I have a comfortable buffer because I live openly in Toronto, but this is around the corner from me, less than a 2 hour drive away. It's just crazy to me that this is even a thing. It smacks to me of some young trollsters who want to stir up some shit and make a big noise and get some attention for it, and as such, I'd rather make this post in solidarity of the couple that has been threatened, and not focus on the shit disturbers that are trying to cause FUD.